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Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/31/dr_who_bandwagon_rolls/

Dr Who bandwagon starts to roll

By Geek TV
Published Friday 31st March 2006 08:47 GMT

Geek TV Update your smartphones, Doctor Who (http://www.gallifreyone.com/) fans: the timelord finally has a time slot. The new Tennant-hued Who starts ay 7pm on Easter Saturday (15 April), together with a new batch of Doctor Who Confidential (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/confidential/) documentaries on BBC Three. There are games to be played (http://www.tvscoop.tv/2006/03/be_doctor_whos_.html) too. Meanwhile, slake your thirst with the first trailer, "early evening" on BBC1 this Saturday.

The Who publicity machine has gone berserk this week. First they dispatched important Who folk to do personal appearances around the country, with Tom Baker leading the charge at London's SciFi Collector store on 12 April. Old Whos out of the way, the current lot have been treated to endless press conferences and a screening at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

The newspapers were particularly excited by Tennant's hint that he'll hang around for a while: "I have had a ball...I might still be here in 40 years." The only guarantee is that he and his bosses will keep us on our toes.

The kiss shared by the Doctor and Rose in the new series has also been much-discussed. "We did not do tongues," confirms Piper, though she is quoted by the Mirror as saying that Tennant is a more "intense" kisser than Christopher Eccleston. "It was quite sexy," ventured the woman who married Chris Evans.

Peter Kay's guest appearance (http://www.tvscoop.tv/2006/03/dear_russell_pl.html) has also generated much speculation, with Tennant describing it as "unlike anything you'll have seen in Doctor Who before," and Billie paying tribute to Kay's "Dalek bread" gags. We look forward to having the Dalek bread concept explained in a DVD extra.

Other TV programmes have continued to exist amid the Who madness; even the really old ones that you thought were dead. The original Planet of the Apes TV series is being released as a 14-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD, which features all the original films and shows, including the never-before-released animation Return to the Planet of the Apes. Sell your mother and look lively: just 12,000 numbered sets go on sale next Monday (3 April) for a Kong-sized £149.99.

Five to watch this week:

Green Wing (http://www.tvscoop.tv/2006/03/interview_with_.html), Friday 31 March, C4, 9pm
The mentalist medics are back for a second series of jump-cutting and speedy-uppy-slowy-downy hosital action.

First on the Moon: the Untold Story, Friday 31 March, Discovery Channel (http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/), 10pm
If Neil Armstrong sounded a bit nervous on the moon, it's because Apollo 11 very nearly came a cropper. This great one-off documentary reveals all.

TV Heaven, Telly Hell, Sunday 2 April, C4, 9.30pm
Last week's debut of this new comedy-chat show was hit and miss - the hit was Sean Lock, the miss was his guest Alan Davies. This week it's Johnny Vegas, who gave the world the greatest-ever episode of Room 101. Surely worth a look.

Planet Earth (http://www.tvscoop.tv/2006/03/review_planet_e.html), Sunday 2 April, BBC1, 9pm
Place a pillow in your lap and give your jaw a gentle landing as whispering Dave Attenborough celebrates the majesty of the desert. Last in the series.

Battlestar Galactica (http://www.battlestargalactica.com/), Tuesday 4 April, Sky One, 9pm
According to recent legend, the whole crew hates this episode. Watch it and decide for yourself. ®

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